Henkel, Carbon partnership offers additive manufacturing solutions

Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany) and digital manufacturing solutions company Carbon (Redwood, Calif., U.S.) announced on Oct. 19 a partnership agreement to collaborate on Henkel’s Loctite-branded formulations validated for use with Carbon’s additive manufacturing process. As part of the collaboration the new Loctite 3D IND405 Clear material is immediately available to Carbon customers. The partnership agreement opens the door for industrial customers to access Henkel’s patented single-component technologies (1K) for use with the Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (Carbon DLS) 3D-printing process. It has not been indicated that the technology accommodates any type of reinforcement.

Loctite 3D IND405 Clear, a clear, tough, semirigid, 3D-printable material. Produced as a one-part resin, Henkel says the polymer is certified for Carbon printers, and is easily printed using the fast, reliable and consistent Carbon DLS process. With potential applications for enclosures and housings, light pipe prototypes, bottle prototypes, jigs and fixtures for production floors and more, Loctite 3D IND405 Clear offers engineers and designers a clear and durable material solution.

“Henkel is a leading provider of single-component technologies for additive manufacturing,” says Dr. Simon Mawson, senior vice president and head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “Our expanded partnership with Carbon allows us to deliver Loctite solutions to customers in the aerospace, automotive, industrial and medical markets. Together we offer an efficient additive manufacturing workflow that facilitates the production of durable end-use parts.”

Henkel adds that it is a longstanding trusted partner for providing industrial solutions to a broad variety of industries. Under its leading Loctite brand, the company offers a growing portfolio of resins for photopolymer 3D printing. By combining the Carbon DLS printing process with Henkel´s materials expertise and coupled with highly-vetted workflow print settings, the partners aim to drive more adoption of additive manufacturing at scale.

“We are excited to be partnering with Henkel to add this material to our portfolio of resins,” says Dr. Jason Rolland, senior vice president of Materials at Carbon. “Our customers have asked us for a clear material that is tough, durable and high-impact resistant. Loctite 3D IND405 meets those needs, and we’re committed to continuing to provide product developers the widest range of best-in-class materials.”

The partnership opens the door for Carbon customers to access Henkel's patented single-component materials, building on Carbon’s broad portfolio of resins that offer customers best-in-class polymer materials for a wide range of applications. With the Carbon DLS process and a growing portfolio of resins that deliver end-use performance, product developers and manufacturers can bring better products to market in less time.

“We are excited to partner with Carbon and combine our innovative, cutting-edge technologies to bring the Loctite 3D IND405 Clear material to market,” Mawson adds. “We believe that the single-component technologies from Loctite, coupled with the Carbon DLS process, provide a best-in-class solution that enables higher precision, better functionality and outstanding economics. Together that puts us in a great position to deliver on additive manufacturing’s promise to transform industrial manufacturing.”